Dublin Coddle (Boiled Sausages, Bacon, Potatoes and Carrots)

The Dublin coddle, cooked with banger sausages (the kind that tends to burst over high-heat cooking) and belly bacon, is just one of the many Irish recipes for boiled meat and vegetables. It is essentially a stew as the dish requires lengthy cooking over very low heat. I love it for its simplicity and the very little effort required to prepare it.

Every culture has its version of boiled meat and vegetables. Turkish haslama, America’s New England boiled dinner, the Spanish cocido, the South American puchero… And we have our bulalo, among other dishes. In fact, in every region of every country, there seems to be a variant of the basic boiled meat and vegetables dish. Peasant fare, really, as it’s a way of preparing a hearty and comforting meal with meat scraps and whatever vegetables are available.

Unlike most boiled meat and vegetable dishes, Dublin coddle does not have bone-in meat to make a tasty broth. It is, therefore, essential to use good quality bone broth.

Instructions

Heat the cooking oil in a pot with a thick bottom. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and the skins burst. Transfer the sausages to a plate.

In the remaining oil, sauté the garlic and onions. Add the diced carrots, then the potatoes. Pour in the broth. Arrange the sausages on top of the potatoes, followed by the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half.

Ladle the Dublin coddle into bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

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Comments

Hi Connie! Been reading your blog for a while now and this particular entry piqued my interest. Really yummy stuff, actually.

A few days ago I found that I’ve got a few Hungarian sausages left in my fridge. And potatoes. And some carrots. I didn’t know Irish coddle was then so I decided to make some soup (it’s been raining lately, and I just came from a flu).

I did what’s written on your recipe–though this time I used more broth (I used beef cubes and water, didn’t have time to make the real thing). However, I also added some milk to the equation. And some thyme. And some rosemary.

I let the hearty mixture brew for about 20 more minutes. After that, I found that it wasn’t creamy enough. So yeah, as his own personal cook I decided to cheat by adding a bit of cornstarch (the relatives will never know).

And guess what? It turned out to be quite alright.

My brother didn’t quite “get it” though, he ate the soup with rice.

And speaking of sausages, have you tried Trefpunkt near Tuazon, QC? It’s a german restaurant and they’ve got quite a good selection on sausages. Plus, they’re cheaper there than the off-the-grocery kind.

Treffpunkt used to be a staple. The original outlet in EDSA has been there since I was in law school. Sadly, the quality of their products is no longer what it was. Even the EDSA outlet has become a sort of beer joint (it used to be family friendly with checkered tablecloths and all that jazz).